Billiards Queue Placement Token

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of a circular flat token having a unique design on the top of the base, a unique design on the bottom of the base, and sides that are low in profile which can be placed on a billiards table to sequence participation in a point of sale activity. Other embodiments are described and shown.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/516,522 filed 2011 Apr. 5 by the present inventor.

BACKGROUND Prior Art The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:

U.S. Patents Pat. No. Kind Code Issue Date Patentee U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,591 B1 Apr. 14, 1998 Opsal U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,727 B1 May 6, 1975 Olson U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,890 B1 Feb. 2, 1999 Neuner

The United States, along with many countries in the world, relies on a first-come first-served basis for organizing people's behavior in society. The first-come, first-served rule simply means that an earlier requestor for a service or product will receive that service or product before any subsequent requestor. This concept is alternatively called queuing, with queuing being the process of 1) aligning requests first to last and then 2) servicing a request in the order received. The first-come, first-served rule works well in organizing society's behavior except when someone either ignores or intentionally violates these informal rules. Nowhere is the first-come, first-served rule more likely to break down as it is in a point-of-sale activity.

A point-of-sale activity is a consumer activity where an individual desires to purchase a particular good or service. Some examples are: waiting at a service counter at the local hardware store, waiting to pay at a bank, department store customer service center, or waiting to purchase gasoline. Point-of-sale also includes using unattended machines such as those in laundromats, car washes, and other facilities using vending machines. Point-of-sale machines also include gaming devices such as pool tables, pinball machines and video poker machines.

For attended point-of-sale activities, retailers often resorted to the “take-a-number” system. In such a system, for example, a person approaches a centralized repository of numbers, retrieves the next available number, and waits until that number is called or displayed. Consumers who approached the counter earlier have lower numbers and therefore are called for service prior to this person's number. Consumers approaching later have a higher number, so they will be called after this person is called. Such systems work well but require an attendant or clerk to monitor and assure the system is properly implemented and enforced.

Vending machines present a more difficult problem for the first-come, first-served rule. Since there is generally no attendant or clerk, individual consumers must rely on the honesty and integrity of the others desiring the same service or product. Unfortunately, others often misinterpret, misunderstand or accidently misapply the first-come, first-served rule, resulting in heightened tensions and dissatisfied consumers.

A particular type of point-of-sale vending system is a gaming system such as pool tables. These systems are often present in recreational environments such as lounges, sports bars, nightclubs and other recreational centers. Such environments are often loud and confusing, thus contributing to the failure of people to successfully apply the first-come, first-served rule. For example, the game of pool is often started by inserting quarters into a money slot, activating the drop of balls that begins a game. Only one game may be played at a time with no method of queuing built into the pool gaming system. Therefore, in an environment where several people wish to play pool, those desiring to participate will place their quarters on the rail of the pool table or write their name on a chalkboard and await their turn. After the current game ends, someone will (hopefully) announce that the game is over. The persons having quarters nearest the money slot or who are next on the chalkboard will insert their quarters and begin the next game. Unfortunately, in this often confused and active environment participants forget whose quarters are next, or may intentionally try to advance their order. A lot of times, quarters are knocked over on the billiards table or into the floor during game play. The replacement of the quarters, some marked with a penny or dime, is not in order as before. Such behavior results in heightened tensions and sometimes even violence.

I have found that chalkboards, quarter queue systems, and electronic queue systems cause problems for the owner of the establishments. Chalk boards run out of chalk and the chalk is not replaced, quarter queue systems cause fights in which owners have to break up, and electronic queue systems break down and are not repaired.

It is, therefore, the object of the present embodiments to provide an easy-to-use token with designs, or designs and table friendly material, for placement on a billiards table sequencing point of sale activities.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment a billiards table queue placement token with a design, and table friendly material.

ADVANTAGES

Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: a separate design distinguishes one queue placement token from another which replaces the “standard quarters on the table or chalk board” rule, each participate will understand their place in the queuing system, eliminates fights among participates over who was “first” in line, each queue placement token can be a representative of who you are and what you represent according to the queue placement token you purchase, eliminates picking up quarters knocked over on the billiards table during game play, eliminates electronic queuing systems. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from considerations of the drawing and ensuing descriptions.

DRAWING Figures

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 2A shows an overhead view of the top of the base with which a design can be engraved, and a side view which has one side.

FIG. 1B and FIG. 2B shows a bottom view of the said base with which a said design can be engraved, and said side view which has one said side.

FIG. 1C and FIG. 2C shows a said bottom view of the said base with which an optional friendly billiards table material can be applied.

Drawings-Reference Numerals 10 top of base 12 side 14 bottom of base 16 design 18 table friendly material

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C

One embodiment of the token is illustrated in FIG. 1A (overhead view) and FIG. 1B (bottom view). The token has a flat top base 10 and a flat bottom base 14 and one side 12. The flat top base 10 with the dimensions of 1½ inch diameter circle can implement a design 16 to deviate itself from other embodiments. The flat bottom base 14 with the dimensions of 1% inch diameter circle also can implement a design 16, or according to another embodiment FIG. 1C, a table friendly material 18 can be applied to the flat bottom base 14 to make the base table friendly. The side 12 for FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C is ⅛ inch thick.

I presently contemplate for this embodiment to have a 1 ½ inch diameter circle for the top base 10 and bottom base 14, and ⅛ inch thick for the side 12 and be made of metal. The top base 10 would implement a design 16 and the bottom base 14 would also implement a design 16. At present I believe that this embodiment, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, operates most efficiently but the other embodiments are also satisfactory.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C Alternative Embodiments

There are various possibilities with regard to shape, size and material in which an embodiment can be made. FIG. 2A shows an overhead view of a square embodiment with a flat top base 10 and four sides 12 with a design 16 on the top flat base 10. FIG. 2B shows a bottom view of a square embodiment with a flat bottom base 14 and four sides 12 with a design 16 on the flat bottom base 14. FIG. 2C shows a bottom view of a square embodiment with a flat bottom base 14 and four sides 12 and a table friendly material 18 applied to the bottom base 14.

Other embodiments can have different shapes, such as oval, triangular, etc. and different materials such as plastic, wood, polycarbonate, etc. The top base 10 and bottom base 14 does not need to be flat and does not have to incorporate a design 16. Designs 16 can be anything from animals, sports teams, hobbies, etc. Sides 12 can be unlimited. The table friendly material 18 can be placed directly on the flat bottom base 14 or flat top base 10 without a design 16 present, or over the design 16 on the flat bottom base 14 or the flat top base 10. Licensing fees must be obtained in some designs.

Operation FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C

The manner of using the embodiment is by placing the top base 10, bottom base 14, or the table friendly material 18 onto the rail of a billiards table in the order of turn. When your turn to play has begun, you take the required coins from your pocket or pocketbook and place in the billiard table coin slot. Then you can place the unique embodiment at the end of the line in the queue system or return it to the place of origin in which you pulled it from if no play is desirable after your turn is up.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of my billiards query placement token become evident:

-   -   (a) A query system that will eliminate violence regarding         billiards play.     -   (b) A query system that will eliminate the use and spillage of         quarters place on a billiards table.     -   (c) A token that you can keep and place in line on the next game         of billiards you play.     -   (d) A token that can identify you in gameplay and keep your         correct turn in the query system.     -   (e) The elimination of any chalk boards and electronic query         systems that either break down or run out of chalk slowing         gameplay down.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

Accordingly, the reader will see that one embodiment of the token is convenient in size and can easily be placed in your pocket and cue case. When you decide to play a game of billiards, it can also be removed easily and be placed on the table. The reader also can see that the billiards query placement token will securely mark your turn in the query system. Furthermore, the billiards query placement token has the additional advantages in that:

-   -   The material of the embodiments can be aluminum, wood, plastic,         silver, gold, other types of metal, etc.     -   The embodiments can have other shapes such as oval, triangular,         rectangular, cubed, etc.     -   Each design on the embodiment can match a design on an article         of clothing or hat that you can wear that can easily identify         you in the query system.     -   Each design of the embodiments can be a representative of who         you are, where you went to school, what branch you served in the         military, what you stand for, etc.     -   The designs of the embodiments can have sports teams, hobbies,         military emblems, colors, letters, etc.     -   The embodiments are lightweight and economical, and can be used         by persons of any age.

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment but merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiments. For example, you can have an oval embodiment made of silver with your initials incorporated on the top with diamonds. The sides can be just one or unlimited. Colors are also unlimited. Table friendly material can be applied to grip the billiard rail better.

Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given. 

1. A device for sequencing participation in a billiards game comprising: (a) a top surface to accommodate an optional design, (b) a bottom surface to accommodate optional said design, (c) said bottom surface to accommodate an optional friendly material pad, (d) one or more sides connecting said top surface to said bottom surface, whereby a billiards player can sequence participation in a point of sale activity. 